Charleston, SC

Early Friday, Sept 13 we flew to Charleston, SC.  Don was invited to do a one day basketball clinic.  We arrived Friday afternoon and were pleased to be housed in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom loft condo in downtown Charleston.  We are in the midst of the market, restaurants, shopping, etc.  Friday evening we ate out on the harbor at Fleet's Landing.  I had shrimp and grits and Don had flounder.

Saturday Don reported to the gym for the clinic and I enjoyed the Charleston neighborhood.
Sunday we explored together with a carriage tour.

The Charleston Market - 4 blocks of shopping

On Monday we took a harbor boat tour with a trip to Fort Sumter.   South Carolina was the first state to secede from the nation from the Union, yet Union forces still occupied Fort Sumter at the entrance of Charleston Harbor.  The South demanded that Fort Sumter be vacated.  The North refused.  Finally, in 4/12/1861 South Carolina Confederate troops from nearby Fort Johnson fired on the fort - the start of a two day bombardment that resulted in the surrender of Fort Sumter by Union troops.

Fort Sumter

Back on Land - We walked around the downtown area.  Charleston is called "Holy City" because it has so many churches in this area.

Circular Church

At 9:30 pm we took a walking Ghost tour in Charleston.  We walked through alleyways, haunted streets, and went by graveyards with a tour guide who told stories about all of these.

Boone Plantation was our destination on Tuesday.
It is America's oldest working plantation started in 1681.  Through the years they raised indigo, rice, cotton, pecans, and now fruits and vegetables.  At one time they had from 200-300 slaves on the plantation.

Avenue of Oaks

Some of the slave houses remain and are
now museums of information about slave life.

We toured the lower floor of the main house.

Mary was making baskets.  I bought the one on the left.
Basket making is historic to the Lowcountry Gullah culture
that was transported across the Atlantic by enslaved African people.

Back at our condo and then to a "praise house" concert at the Circular Church.

Five musicians sang spiritual songs 

Our condo for the stay in Charleston.

Roof top patio.